Because of the inherent instability of the two wheeler, the most fundamental necessity of motorcycling is to keep the machine in an upright position. This is always true whether riding, stopped, in transit, or in storage. At times this can be a particularly difficult task, especially without an additional person to help support the machine. By way of example, significant difficulty is encountered when loading a motorcycle onto a trailer because the motorcycle must be ridden or pushed up a ramp and held in an upright position while securing straps are attached and tightened.
Motorcycles that are used to compete on racetracks cannot have side-stands of any kind attached permanently to the machine. The absence of an attached support, requires the placing of an external stand under the motorcycle by the operator or a second person when the machine comes off the track.
There have been notable attempts to develop a stand that would address some of the issues mentioned above, but all have limitations in their capabilities. One such attempt is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,517; "Motorcycle Carrier and Chock." This stand provides convenient and secure support for some motorcycles, but because of the fixed width and diameter of the supporting channel it will only be applicable for a narrow range of tire sizes. Smaller diameter tires and narrow tires will not be held securely and larger tires will not enter the stand. This is of particular concern today because the trend is moving toward wider and wider tire sizes.
The stand presented in International Application Number PCT/GB96/01276 has greater versatility by providing a wedge shaped receiving shoe and a matching upper shoe both mounted pivotally to allow for different diameter tires. But again, a much wider tire will require a greater effort to engage the shoes and many modem tires will simply not fit.
What is needed is a stand into which the motorcycle can be ridden or pushed that captures the front or rear tire of the motorcycle allowing the operator, without further action, to dismount the bike without worry of it falling over.